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Occasional Contributor
Posts: 18
Registered: ‎01-22-2011

Thanks for getting me in the mood again for cleaning out the pantry, etc.  After my husband passed away a couple years ago, I went through things and found many expired items at the back of the pantry, etc.  My vision is not the greatest and I found that the expiration dates are so hard to read and find on the packages. 

 

Now when I come home from grocery shopping, before I put things away, I take a black Sharpie marking pen and write in big numbers on the package or can,  the use by or expiration date.  It only takes a couple minutes, and I can see right away what needs to used up quickly.  When they have food drives, etc. I can see which items are still good for donating, etc.  Maybe I am getting a little goofy in my old age, but this has helped me a bit.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,283
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Cleaning the Pantry

[ Edited ]

My husband is a food hoarder - he cannot pass up a sale on something if he has a coupon for it whether we need it or not.

 

Although never diagnosed, I think it's a form of PTSD stemming from being at the WTC on 9/11 because that's when it started.

 

Right now I have 4 squeeze bottles of mustard and 4 bottles of barbecue sauce on the shelf.  I don't know about anyone else, but I do not use that much mustard and barbecue sauce that I need 4 of each.  

 

There are 6 quart and half bottles of Listerine in the bathroom closet.

 

When he worked I was able to go through and take a bag or two over to the food pantry on a regular basis, he's recently retired so it's not going to be that easy anymore.

 

I keep a running list of what I know I will soon be needing from the supermarket and I have to hide it from him.

 

There have been times when stuff has gotten away from me and I've had to throw it out because it's gone past the date and I hate doing that, it's such a waste.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,433
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

My next task is to pull out the frig and oven and clean underneath, As a few others stated, it is good to put this on a six month schedule to ensure it gets done.

 

I think we all inspire each other to get after those tasks! I also like the idea of using a sharpie to mark expiration dates. Some of them are simply stamped into the cardboard and are very hard to read.

 

Some dates are sooo tiny and printed in white. These companies need to make these things easier for the consumer to read,